Neal Collins

Dr. Reineck

GSHU-121

Sept. 25, 2001

Questions of Book #17:

1. Why did Achilles mother not tell him about what was to come with Patroclus

and his doom? Why did she allow her son to send off his best friend into his

own death, surely she realized how this would affect Achilles, but perhaps that

is the outcome she hoped for? Did Thetis want Achilles to go into battle, she

new he would die, but was there anything that she could do about it? Lastly is

the promise of Zeus going to play out, I mean when he vowed to help Thetis

and her son wasn’t the deal going to be that the Trojans were going to reach

Achilles ships?

2. What does Zeus mean when he speaks to Achilles horses and says, “Poor

creatures, why did we give you to king Peleus, a mortal doomed to death…

You immortal beasts who never age or die? So you could suffer the pains of

wretched men? There is nothing alive more agonized than man of all that

breathe and crawl across the earth.” Is Zeus making a statement about the

condition of man, or is he sympathizing with the deathless horses that they to

have to watch their favorite heroes die (Fagles 457)?

Questions of Book #18:

1. What does Achilles mean when he says, “Thetis—this alien earth I stride will

hold me down at last (Fagles 478)?” Is Achilles saying that the earth is
 alien to him because he is half god and dies a mortal’s death because he is half

human? Did he ever believe he would reach the court on Mt. Olympus?

2. What do Hephaestus carved scenes on the face of Achilles shield symbolize?

They must have some great significance; Homer devoted four pages on just

describing the shield.

Questions of Book #19:

1. Agamemnon’s speech of pg. 491 makes one wonder if there is any hope for him

to be a good king. But, does his giving of the promised gifts mean that he

understands his own fault in it all?

2. Achilles knows that after he kills Hector his death will be quick to come, but with

that knowledge why does Achilles continue to go forward with his plans to

kill Hector, if I new the end result of my killing someone would result in my

own death I would not go ahead and attack? Or, does any of that matter, does

whether or not Achilles kills Hector even matter in the end?

Questions of Book #20:

1. It seems rather unjust that the gods so readily throw men into war but are

apprehensive to battle amongst themselves. What do they fear, it is not like

they could get killed, unlike those men that die daily over the gods trivial

feuds (Fagles 508)?

2. Why did Apollo warn Hector about fighting Achilles in one-on-one battle,

surely he realizes that Hector is doomed to die at the hand of Achilles (Fagles

515)?
3. The last few stanzas of book 20 are the most gruesome yet, what idea is

Homer trying to convey about Achilles state of mind now that he is battling?

Is he contrasting the civilian side with his strength of character and principles

opposed by the side that side that relishes blood and gore, what does that say

about the effect of war on a mans psyche (Fagles 519)?